Agriculture

Gurpreet, Madho and Tina were walking through

the village where they saw a farmer tilling land. The

farmer told them that he was growing wheat and had

just added manure to the soil to make it more fertile.

He told the children that the wheat would fetch a

good price in the mandi from where it would be taken

to factories to make bread and biscuits from flour.

This transformation from a plant to a finished

product involves three types of economic activities.

These are primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

Primary activities include all those connected

with extraction and production of natural resources.

Agriculture, fishing and gathering are good examples.

Secondary activities are concerned with the processing

of these resources. Manufacturing of steel, baking of

bread and weaving of cloth are examples of this activity.

Tertiary activities provide support to the primary and

secondary sectors through services. Transport, trade,

banking, insurance and advertising are examples of

tertiary activities.

Agriculture is a primary activity. It includes growing

crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock.

In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in

agricultural activity. Two-thirds of India’s population is

still dependent on agriculture.

Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital

for agricultural activity. The land on which the crops

are grown is known as arable land (Fig. 3.1). In the map

you can see that agricultural activity is concentrated in

those regions of the world where suitable factors for the

growing of crops exist.

Word Origin

The word

agriculture is

derived from Latin

words ager or agri

meaning soil and

culture meaning,

cultivation.

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Fig. 3.1: World Distribution of Arable Land

Do you know?

Viticulture

Cultivation of grapes.

Horticulture

Growing vegetables, flowers and fruits for commercial use.

Sericulture

Commercial rearing of silk worms. It may supplement the

income of the farmer.

Agriculture

The science and art of cultivation on the soil, raising

crops and rearing livestock. It is also called farming.

Farm SyStem

Agriculture or farming can be looked at as a system. The

important inputs are seeds, fertilisers, machinery and

Pisciculture

Breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.

23Agriculture

+ Culture

Agri

Seri

Pisci

Viti

Horti

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24 resources And development

labour. Some of the operations involved are ploughing,

sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting. The outputs

from the system include crops, wool, dairy and poultry

products.

typeS oF Farming

Farming is practised in various ways across the world.

Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand

of produce, labour and level of technology, farming can

be classified into two main types. These are subsistence

farming and commercial farming.

Subsistence Farming

This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the

farmer’s family. Traditionally, low levels of technology

and household labour are used to produce on small

output. Subsistence farming can be further classified

as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence

farming.

In intensive subsistence agriculture the farmer

cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and

more labour. Climate with large number of days with

sunshine and fertile soils permit growing of more than

one crop annually on the same plot. Rice is the main

crop. Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and

oilseeds. Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent

in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions

of south, southeast and east Asia.

Processes Outputs

Fig 3.2: The farm system of an arable farm Fig 3.3: Physical and human farm inputs

Human

Inputs

Crops

Interesting Fact

Organic Farming

In this type of

farming, organic

manure and

natural pesticides

are used instead

of chemicals.

No genetic

modification is

done to increase

the yield of the

crop.

Ploughing

Sowing

Spraying

Chemicals

Inputs

Machinery

Seeds

Sunshine

Temperature

Soil

Slope

Physical Inputs

Rainfall

Storage

Machinery

Labour

Chemicals

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Agriculture

Do you know?

Shifting cultivation

is known by

different names in

different parts of

the world

Jhumming -

North-East India

Milpa -Mexico

Roca - Brazil.

Ladang - Malaysia

Primitive subsistence agriculture includes shifting

cultivation and nomadic herding.

Shifting cultivation is practised in the thickly

forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of

southeast Asia and Northeast India. These are the areas

of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation.

A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and burning

them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops

like maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown. After

the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the

cultivator moves to a new plot. Shifting cultivation is

also known as ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.

Nomadic herding is practised in the semi-arid

and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some

parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and

Kashmir. In this type of farming, herdsmen

move from place to place with their animals for

fodder and water, along defined routes. This

type of movement arises in response to climatic

constraints and terrain. Sheep, camel, yak and

goats are most commonly reared. They provide

milk, meat, wool, hides and other products to

the herders and their families.

Commercial Farming

In commercial farming crops are grown and

animals are reared for sale in market. The area

cultivated and the amount of capital used is

large. Most of the work is done by machines.

Commercial farming includes commercial

grain farming, mixed farming and plantation

agriculture (Fig 3.5).

In commercial grain farming crops are grown

for commercial purpose. Wheat and maize are

common commercially grown grains. Major

areas where commercial grain farming is

pracised are temperate grasslands of North America,

Europe and Asia. These areas are sparsely populated

with large farms spreading over hundreds of hectares.

Severe winters restrict the growing season and only a

single crop can be grown.

In mixed farming the land is used for growing

food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.

Fig 3.4: Nomadic Herders with

their camels

Fig 3.5: A Sugarcane

plantation

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26 resources And development

It is practised in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina,

southeast Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Plantations are a type of commercial farming

where single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew,

rubber, banana or cotton are grown. Large amount

of labour and capital are required. The produce may

be processed on the farm itself or in nearby factories.

The development of a transport network is thus

essential for such farming.

Major plantations are found in the tropical

regions of the world. Rubber in Malaysia, coffee

in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka are some

examples.

Major Crops

A large variety of crops are grown to meet the

requirement of the growing population. Crops also

supply raw materials for agro based industries.

Major food crops are wheat, rice, maize and

millets. Jute and cotton are fibre crops. Important

beverage crops are tea and coffee.

Rice: Rice is the major food crop of the world. It

is the staple diet of the tropical and sub-tropical

regions. Rice needs high temperature, high

humidity and rainfall. It grows best in alluvial

clayey soil, which can retain water. China leads in

the production of rice followed by India, Japan, Sri

Lanka and Egypt. In favourable climatic conditions

as in West Bengal and Bangladesh two to three

crops are grown in a year.

Wheat: Wheat requires moderate temperature and

rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine

at the time of harvest. It thrives best in well drained

loamy soil. Wheat is grown extensively in USA,

Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia

and India. In India it is grown in winter.

Millets: They are also known as coarse grains and

can be grown on less fertile and sandy soils. It is

a hardy crop that needs low rainfall and high to

Fig 3.7: Rice Cultivation

Fig 3.8: Wheat Harvesting

Fig 3.6: A Banana Plantation

Fig 3.9: Bajra Cultivation

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Agriculture

moderate temperature and adequate rainfall. Jowar,

bajra and ragi are grown in India. Other countries are

Nigeria, China and Niger.

Maize: Maize requires

moderate temperature,

rainfall and lots of

sunshine. It needs

well-drained fertile soils.

Maize is grown in North

America, Brazil, China,

Russia, Canada, India,

and Mexico.

Cotton: Cotton requires

high temperature, light

rainfall, two hundred

and ten frost-free days

and bright sunshine for

its growth. It grows best

on black and alluvial

soils. China, USA, India,

Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of

cotton. It is one of the main raw materials for the cotton

textile industry.

Jute: Jute was also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’. It grows

well on alluvial soil and requires high temperature,

heavy rainfall and humid climate. This crop is grown in

the tropical areas. India and

Bangladesh are the leading

producers of jute.

Coffee: Coffee requires warm

and wet climate and well-

drained loamy soil. Hill slopes

are more suitable for growth

of this crop. Brazil is the

leading producer followed by

Columbia and India.

Tea: Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations. This

requires cool climate and well distributed high rainfall

throughout the year for the growth of its tender leaves.

Fig 3.11: Cotton Cultivation

Fig 3.12: Coffee Plantation

Do you know?

Maize is also know

as corn. Various

colourful varieties

of maize are found

across the world.

Interesting Fact

Who discovered

the Coffee Plant?

There are different

versions about

the discovery of

coffee. In about

AD 850, Kaldi, an

Arab goat-herder,

who was puzzled

by the queer antics

of his flock, tasted

the berries of the

evergreen bush on

which the goats

were feeding.

On experiencing

a sense of

exhilaration, he

proclaimed his

discovery to the

world.

Fig 3.10: Maize Cultivation

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28 resources And development

Fig 3.14: Farmers ploughing

a field

Fig 3.13: Tea Plantation

Do you know?

Food security

exists when all

people, at all

times, have access

to sufficient, safe

and nutritious

food to meet their

dietary needs and

food preferences

for an active and

healthy life.

It needs well-drained loamy soils and gentle

slopes. Labour in large number is required to

pick the leaves. Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka

produce the best quality tea in the world.

agricultural Development

Agricultural Development refers to efforts

made to increase farm production in order

to meet the growing demand of increasing

population. This can be achieved in many ways such as

increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown,

improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and high

yielding variety of seeds. Mechanisation of agriculture

is also another aspect of agricultural development. The

ultimate aim of agricultural development is to increase

food security.

Agriculture has developed at different places in different

parts of the world. Developing countries with large

populations usually practise intensive agriculture where

crops are grown on small holdings mostly for subsistence.

Larger holdings are more suitable for commercial agriculture

as in USA, Canada and Australia. With the help of two case

studies of farms — one from India and the other from the

USA, let us understand about agriculture in the developing

and a developed country.

A Farm in India

There is a small village Adilabad in Ghazipur district of

Uttar Pradesh. Munna Lal is a small farmer in this village

who has farmland of about 1.5 hectares. His house is in

the main village. He purchases high yielding varieties of

seeds from the market every alternate year. The

land is fertile and he grows atleast two crops

in a year which are normally wheat or rice and

pulses. The farmer takes advice of his friends

and elders as well as government agricultural

officers regarding farming practices. He takes

a tractor on rent for ploughing his field, though

some of his friends still use traditional method

of using bullocks for ploughing. There is a

tubewell in the nearby field which he takes on

rent to irrigate his field.

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Agriculture

Munna Lal also has two buffaloes and few hens. He

sells milk in the cooperative store located in the nearby

town. He is a member of the co-operative society which

also advises him on the type of fodder for his animals,

safety measures to protect the health of the livestock

and artificial insemination.

All the members of the family help him

in various farm activities. Sometimes, he

takes credit from a bank or the agricultural

co-operative society to buy HYV seeds and

implements.

He sells his produce in the mandi located

in the nearby town. Since majority of the

farmers do not have lack storage facilities,

they are forced to sell the produce even

when the market is not favourable to them.

In recent years, the government has taken

some steps to develop storage facilites.

A Farm in the USA

The average size of a farm in the USA is much

larger than that of an Indian farm. A typical

farm size in the USA is about 250 hectares.

The farmer generally resides in the farm.

Some of the major crops grown are corn,

soyabean, wheat, cotton and sugarbeet.

Joe Horan, a farmer in the Midwest USA, in

Iowa State owns about 300 hectares of land.

He grows corn on his field after making sure

that soil and water resources meet the needs

of this crop. Adequate measures are taken to control

pests that can damage the crop. From time to time

he sends the soil samples to a soil testing laboratory

to check whether the

nutrients are sufficient or

not. The results help Joe

Horan to plan a scientific

fertiliser programme. His

computer is linked to the

satellite which gives him

a precise picture of his

field. This helps him to

use chemical fertilisers

Fig 3.17: Spray of Pesticides

Fig 3.16: A Farm in the USA

Fig 3.15: An Agricultural Field in India

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30 resources And development

Exercises

1. Answer the following questions.

(i) What is agriculture?

(ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture?

(iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?

(iv) What is plantation agriculture?

(v) Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their

growth.

2. Tick the correct answer.

(i) Horticulture means

(a) growing of fruits and vegetables (b) primitive farming

(ii) Golden fibre refers to

(a) tea (b) cotton (c) jute

(iii) Leading producers of coffee

(a) Brazil (b) India (c) Russia

3. Give reasons.

(i) In India agriculture is a primary activity.

(ii) Different crops are grown in different regions.

4. Distinguish between the followings.

(i) Primary activites and tertiary activities

(ii) Subsistence farming and intenstive farming.

5. Activity

(i) Collect seeds of wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, oilseeds and pulses

available in the market. Bring them to the class and find out in which type

of soil they grow.

(ii) Find out the difference between the life style of farmers in the USA and

India on the basis of pictures collected from magazines, books, newspapers

and the Internet.

Fig 3.18: Mechanised Harvesting in the USA

and pesticides wherever they are required.

He uses tractors, seed drills, leveller,

combined harvester and thresher to perform

various agricultural operations. A grains are

stored in the automated grain storage or

despatched to market agencies. The farmer

in USA works like a businessman and not

like a peasant farmer.

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